Ice buildup inhibitor
AssigneeBoard of Regents, The University of Texas System
InventorsYamen Leonard Aussi, Pamela Long, Micheal Nicolas, Daniel Vargas
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An ice buildup inhibitor is disclosed useful for preventing ice damming, in particular in conjunction with the use of a closed gutter. Heat escape through a roof made warm snow pack, causing it to melt and flow down toward the gutter. After moving away from the heated roof, the water may re-freeze and form an ice dam. In the ice buildup inhibitor may be configured to warm in the closed gutter, thereby preventing the formation of an ice dam. They ice buildup inhibitor may be configured to be easily installed onto an existing closed gutter, enabling responsive installation on only those homes experiencing ice damming.
Claims15
An ice buildup inhibitor for use in combination with a roof gutter, the gutter having a generally-vertical forward guard, the forward guard having an upper edge and an outer surface, the ice buildup inhibitor comprising:
- a support substrate providing a structural foundation and configured to engage the forward guard of the gutter;
- and
- an electrical heat strip configured to receive power from a power supply;
- wherein the heat strip is configured to lay longitudinally against the forward guard of the gutter and wherein below the upper edge of the forward guard the support substrate is configured to place the heat strip below the upper edge and adjacent a front wall of the forward guard.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.